Dreaming Deeply: Spirits in Sleep

Hello all,

I hope you are having a great start to the beginning of October.. with Samhain rapidly approaching i’m finding myself kicking it up a gear when it comes to preparations for the nights ahead.

However I wanted to post today on something interesting, mainly due to several recent experiences. These have been quite powerful, and useful for my spiritual growth and I feel sharing it could be useful for people.

Many people have experienced powerful, deep dreams that are stark in their lucidity. Many people, in these states, have often met entities of some description, that seem overly familiar as if they have been met before. They often give advice, teaching, or even gifts of power. On waking many people do not remember these encounters, or file them away at the back of their minds as unimportant.

Little do they realise that they might have met with a familiar or guiding spirit in the Oneiric Realms. I feel this is a great shame as these experiences have a great capacity to bring insight, and healing, to those who experience, remember and integrate them. What follows is some examples of my own experiences and a small method to help cement work with these entities.

My own experience with this form of contact has been varied and extensive, and it is one of the primary ways in which I work. That said, two experiences stand out in my mind as being extremely important, one being a new occurrence, and the other one old.

One of the first experiences I have ever had was meeting a spirit within a dream forest. I can remember the sweet, smell of the cherry blossoms that seemed to glow a subtle, golden white light upon their darkened black twisted stems. A cracked stone path led straight through these trees towards an old, rustic house of an exotic design that defies description in text, as a light breeze seemed to swirl around me. The air was cool, and crisp, and there was hardly any sound as if the whole forest was holding its breath. further away I could see evergreens, interspersed with the cold icy blossom trees, and there was a feeling as if one had stepped into some surrealist picture. Far down the path i could see a figure, abnormally slim and tall, dressed entirely in red. Their eyes possessed a relaxing, warm orange colour, that gave off a feeling of both youth and age all at once. Long, black hair seemed to fall down over the figures shoulders, and it was sat as if relaxing and enjoying this strange, abnormal morning. I felt drawn towards this figure, and approached and welcomed it.

This encounter would be a highly enjoyable one. I talked for many hours with this entity, that who neither at the time give me its name nor identity. But it gave me a lot of advice, advice that would strengthen me for difficulties at that time I was facing in my mundane life. It wouldn’t be the first time I would run into this entity – over many weeks, months and years I have met it again several times.. and only within the last few have I identified it as my primary familiar.

Dreamscape by Piofoks

A more recent example occurred several weeks ago. I met an entity in dream, one that at first was challenging, even hostile. This entity appeared with the same, strange dimensions of that of the primary familial, except it was clearly appearing as Female. This entity possessed solid black eyes, ivory skin, and long, snake like hair. Despite her stand offish nature, she radiated a warm, welcoming aura that drew me to persist in asking her assistance. Once I had correctly introduced myself, this entity mellowed and taught me over the course of several days how to internalise some of the energies released by opening Hecates Stellar Gate. In the Waking World, she sent visions that identified her as a spirit that resides in Malkuth/Nehemoth, the spheres that lie closest to our world and merge with it, and that she is associated with the energies of the moon. She seemed in some way linked to Nahemah, something I have still not had clarified. However this work left me feeling refreshed, calmed, as if some of the energy from those difficult workings had finally been integrated. She also made it clear that she had been sent for this task, and was a specific familiar or oneiric spirit that had almost complete mastery of these realms and would therefore be an excellent guardian from some of the more intense, disturbing apocalyptic dreams that are being caused by rising currents from the World Soul.

Looking back on the above, it is not a surprise that these entities that have guarding/teaching roles are more likely to contact us in times of stress, or challenge. They are often specifically sent to aid us on our path, usually after subconsciously being requested. Engaging with them leads to an overall bettering of the situation as we work with them to complete the challenges set before us.

Once contact has been made through chance encounter or after a request to Hecate has been sent in initial work, there is a trick that can help facilitate and grow the connection with your own personal dream familiars and spirits. Firstly, you will need to acquire the spirits name, sigil or ideally both. Once once is given, the other is usually just a matter of conducting further work with the spirit until both are deemed ready to share.

Take one small piece of paper, or thin piece of wood, and ritually consecrate and prepare it as detailed in earlier workings in the resources section. For paper, this usually involves a libation element, and both are cleansed with consecrated water and incense smoke. Once the material is ready, mark in ink or engrave the name, sigil or ideally both onto one side. The second side, should have the Sigil of the Universal Gateway, as detailed inQueen of Hell and as shown below.

The Universal Sigil of Gateways, as detailed in the book ‘Queen of Hell’

Once completed, a call is given to Hecate to thank her for assisting the work, and she is asked to open the gateway to her realms for the spirit to come forth during your dreaming phases. As this personal call is spoken, the gateway sigil is blooded. Once done, the sigil and name of the spirit overleaf is also blooded, with an individual call to that spirit to come forth and meet you, work with you and teach you in dream.

Once the above is done, this artefact becomes empowered and a direct conduit to the spirit involved. When sleeping, it should be placed under a pillow, or failing that, the bed in as close a proximity as you as possible to help facilitate its effects. When not in use, in should reside in or around the altar and should be treated as all other empowered items.

This method has been and continues to be an effective, simple way of working with these entities revealed to me. Further offerings of blood increases the effect. This sigil has many interesting properties for devotees who make use of it, and the symbolism inherent within it should be self evident.

I wish everyone a great run up to Samhain, and I hope to have more to share near the end of this month, going into the next.